RIFACE 2022 – June 3th-6th, Paris (Issy-Les-Moulineaux)

This year, the 43th RIFACE (International Meeting in France for Chess Problems Lovers) will take place, as usual.  We stay right next to Paris, but this time in Issy-Les-Moulineaux. The hotel has chargeable parking.

Hotel Ibis « Paris Issy les Moulineaux Val de Seine » – 213, rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau – 92130 Issy-Les-Moulineaux – 01.47.36.42.00 (GPS : N 48° 49’ 21.05’’ E2° 15’ 25.70’’)

PAY ATTENTION : the French Chess Solving Championship is registered for the World Solving Cup 2021-2022 and will take place Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 15:30 pm.

Thank you to register as soon as possible and no later than Saturday, April 30 2022! – Jerome Auclair


WFCC sanctions & JF’s originals

WFCC sanctions in reaction to hostilities in Ukraine are based on the voting result you can see on the official website. I’m glad about some of our decisions, I regret about the voting result related to 11.WCCT. And I’m very much disappointed about the ignorant behavior of some delegates who never appeared on any WFCC meeting and didn’t trouble themselves with the voting. I apologize to all composers who had trust in our organization. Please, stay patient, stay healthy, and I will try to keep JF out of politics, as a fairy garden where fairy composers are always glad to meet each other and to share their creativity.

My kid is 8. She was a troublesome student because she couldn’t stay concentrated for longer than five minutes and was not interested in studying at all. I didn’t want to medicate her, but after long considerations and consultations, I started giving https://healthylombard.com/buy-adderall/ her Adderall. The situation at school changed completely. She is now motivated and tries to do her best.

JF will continue to publish original problems by individuals from any countries. Our creativity, good will, positive emotions, support to each each other are needed to keep the peace where we can, to calm our minds and to warm our hearts.

This month JF celebrates its 10 years jubilee. Please, join me with the smile!


A Chess Problem Tribute to the James Webb Space Telescope!

A Chess Problem Tribute to the
James Webb Space Telescope!

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched by NASA on 25-Dec-2021, is the most powerful telescope ever launched into space and is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. It is expected to look farther than the Hubble and has created great excitement among the astronomer community. It will uncover details to study and understand the earliest formation and evolution of Galaxies, Stars and Planets, including the origins of life.

When faced with all these new vistas, one is reminded of our own TRD’s words, from the envoi to “Ultimate Themes”, 1938: “Fairy problems have the limitless geometry of space before them, with life, fire, exquisite beauty, in rich and growing and never-ending profusion.
https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope

#2
Immobile BKd4 (Cannot move or capture)

The layout of the JWST’s 18 mirrors immediately suggests a hexagonal chessboard which was covered in our classification project. So, here is a hexagonal chess problem to celebrate the JWST!

Chess Problem: Hexagonal Board with 19 squares: a1-a3-c5-e3-e1-c1

Rooks move through the sides of the squares. Bishops move through the corners. Pawns move vertically through the sides of the squares towards their bottom rank (here a1-e1 for BPs) and capture through the edges of the squares to the left or right.

Solution:
1.Re1-c3! ZZ
1…Ra2-b3 2.Rc3-c5#
1…Ba1-b3 2.Rc3-c4#
1…Rd1-d2 2.Rc3-e3#
1…Bc1-d2 2.Rc3-d3#
Double Grimshaw + 4 mates by WR
Tries: 1.Rb3+? R/Bxb3! 1.Rd2+? R/Bxd2! 1.Rxd1+? c2xd1=Q/R/B/S! 1.Re3+? Bxe3! 1.Re2? ZZ Rb3/Bc5!

Shankar Ram


Andernach Meeting 2022

breaking news – Andernach Meeting 2022

In the last two years, the Andernach meeting had to be cancelled due to COVID19 — now it will take place again: May 26-29 at the Ristorante Bellini, Hochstraße 39, 56626 Andernach, Germany.
We will meet there on May 26 from 17:00.

Please organize your own accommodation, but inform Thomas Brand (t.brand@gmx.net) about your participation and possible contributions to the program.  A solving tournament (a bit different than usual) is planned.

Until May many greetings – Hans Gruber and Thomas Brand


The Fairy Chess Classification Project – March 2022 Update

The FCCP – March 2022 Update

After the initial release in April 2021, the last release in August 2021 covered some 476 elements. No updates to the database have since been made. This was mainly due to our decision to implement a new format wherein alternative classification choices could be shown together. While this “Grand Unified Theory” is still under progress, we are happy to present some new  classification ideas by Thomas Maeder, Maryan Kerhuel and Chris Tylor. These will, hopefully, be eventually integrated into our GUT!

T.M. model coloured by NSR
  1. Back in May 2021, Thomas Maeder proposed a classification model for the Stipulations group. It used a two-dimensional matrix for the “Play” group. His original outline is here and a slightly modified and coloured version by NSR is here.
  2. Maryan Kerhuel started work on a classification model for the Conditions group from October 2021. He has included the relationship between conditions and piece attributes. His latest version can be seen here (Group and sub-group definitions) and here (Spreadsheet with 300+ conditions from WinChloe sorted by name [sheet 1] and by classification code [sheet 2]).
  3. After a break, Chris Tylor returned to the project from February 2022, with a comprehensive document covering all the existing plus some new elements and attempting a different approach, which can be seen here. Chris’s words from the introduction: “…I would like to dedicate it and any further versions to Julia – as being the person with the vision to set this project in motion in the first place.

– NSR on behalf of FCCP team


Originals March 2022

JF Original Problems | March, 2022

The judge of JF-2022/I: Vlaicu Crişan
The judge of Retro & PG problems 2021-2022: Thomas Brand

Coming soon: Nobody in the waiting list…


  • (19.03) No.1698 (h#2 ; Neutral pieces) – Kıvanç Çefle. “The Grimshaw interference between two neutral pieces” (KÇ)
  • (18.03) No.1697 (h#2 ; Breton) – Thomas Maeder. “A logical ODT…” (TM)
  • (14.03) No.1696 (h#2 ; Nightrider, LEO, PAO, VAO) – Michal Dragoun. 4 solutions. “It is a pity that in this pattern…” (MD)
  • (13.03) No.1695 (h#2 ; Equipollents AntiCirce) – Chris Feather. “Of course the WK is NOT in check in either diagram position!” (CJF)
  • (13.03) No.1692.1 (ser-s#8 ; Anti-Circe) – Gábor Tar. Correction to No.1692 after comment by Joost de Heer.

I would gladly publish your problems partly featuring JF10JT theme (not included into the tournament because of number of pieces or fairy element used), but after May 15th, when the Award of JF10JT is published.
Thank you for your understanding!


Animated diagrams use Py2Web by Dmitri Turevski and WinChloe‘s graphics, Christian Poisson


Munich Fairy Chess Tourney 2022 – С130922

Munich Fairy Chess Tourney 2022

The mpk-Blaetter announces the Munich Fairy Tourney 2022 with the theme Influencer chess. Problems of any stipulation are required (direct-, self-, reflex-, help-, helpself-) with any target (-mate, -stalemate, -arrival square, -castling, …) or proof games, all alternating or in series, with any move number on a 8×8 board.

See the definition and examples in PDF Announcement (German & English).

The theme is free. | Further fairy pieces or fairy conditions are not accepted.
Judge: Manfred Rittirsch | Tournament director: Rolf Kohring | Closing date: September 30th, 2022
Submissions should be sent to mpk-blaetter@gmx.de (preferred) or Rolf Kohring, Bolkamer Straße 5a, D-83104 Tuntenhausen, Germany.


Originals February 2022

JF Original Problems | February, 2022

The judge of JF-2022/I: Vlaicu Crişan
The judge of Retro & PG problems 2021-2022: Thomas Brand

Coming soon: nobody in the waiting list. Next originals will be published starting the 2nd week of March.


  • (26.02.) No.1694 (h==15.5 ; Haaner Chess, ABC for white, ABC inverse for black) – Sébastien Luce (France). This problem was initially published on the same page with No.1690 as variation of the theme. But moved to be presented as a separate original problem by author’s request.
  • (28.02) No.1693 (h=8) – Ya’aqov Mintz (Israel) & Hans Gruber (Germany). “Black Allumwandlung, white Excelsior.” (Authors). Warm welcome to Hans!
  • (28.02) No.1684.1 (h=2 ; legality / shadow solution?) – János Csák & Béla Majoros (Hungary). Authors say that the new version fixes the bug in No.1684.
  • (28.02) No.1692 (ser-s#8 ; Anti-Circe) – Gábor Tar (Hungary).
  • (27.02) No.1691 (ser-h#10 ; Camel, Rose, Ibis) – Manfred Rittirsch (Germany). “Cyclic change of fairy promotions.”
    Dedicated to Petko A. Petkov for his 80th birthday

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PETKO!!!
  • (26.02.) No.1690 (h==14.5 ; Haaner Chess, ABC for white, ABC inverse for black) – Sébastien Luce (France).

I would gladly publish your problems partly featuring JF10JT theme (not included into the tournament because of number of pieces or fairy element used), but after May 15th, when the Award of JF10JT is published.
Thank you for your understanding!


Animated diagrams use Py2Web by Dmitri Turevski and WinChloe‘s graphics, Christian Poisson


Fairy Eater Chess – a fairy chess variant by Vadrya Pokshtya

My name is Sergey Kulelyaev (my pen name Vadrya Pokshtya). I am chess variants inventor and chess composer. Not so long ago, I managed to implement one of my most successful variants of fairy chess in terms of tactics, strategy and game dynamics – Fairy Eater Chess.

With a gratitude to P. A. Stonemann for a help with publishing my chess variants at Game Courier.

Vadrya Pokshtya (Sergey Kulelyaev)

The battlefield is an odd 9×9 board, on which two opposing sides have gathered, consisting of both classic fairy chess pieces and two new ones to reveal the strongest.

The original names of the pieces create the appropriate atmosphere of the game and immerse us in the world of dark fantasy, giving the necessary flavor to everything that happens on the board. It would seem that with such a crowded initial arrangement, the gameplay is impossible, but in reality it turns out the opposite: the pieces begin to behave super-aggressively, quickly devouring each other in these conditions of a confined space. The game is replete with mind-blowing combinations and incredible possibilities, which distinguishes it from all other variants of fairy chess.

Let’s take for example the following position from a practical game, which shows the amazing world of Fairy Eater Chess in the best possible way.

White to move and mate in one.

Nightrider’s non-obvious rebound from square d3 to h1 decides the outcome of the battle in favor of White. Black cannot close with the Shield on e7 from the Ghost (Skull) on d1, since the Nightrider on h1 does not allow to do it. Also note that Black’s Sorcerer cannot retreat to e9 because this square is under attack by the white Nightrider on a1.


JF10JT: a week to the deadline

a week to the deadline… 10.02.22

Dear friends, I know about some of you, and I hope if I don’t know 🙂 that you do compose for JF’s jubilee tournament.


Update final 10.02.22: Accepted 59 entries by the section: A=10, B=32, C=17.

Thanks a lot to all of you who take part! I’ve enjoyed your compositions very much and now I’m glad to pass it to the judge, Kjell Widlert. The tournament is anonymous.

Results and prize giving: May 15th 2022 in Riga, at the closing ceremony of the 15th ECSC and published the same day on JF, of course.